Kean Sr. then took aim at Christie's lack of coattails in November's election.

"You assume that if the governor wins by 20 points or more, you'd have coattails," Kean said. "No governor I know in any state has won by 20 points and not had coattails."

The comments reverberated nationally as pundits wondered if Christie, who names Kean as his longtime mentor and friend, had lost his mojo -- first losing the leadership battle then angering the Republican elder statesman.

During a press conference, his first in a month, Christie also addressed the attempt to remove Kean Jr. from his leadership post.

Asked how involved he was in the move on Kean Jr. – a move Kean Jr. thwarted – Christie replied "not very."

"When people asked me my opinion, I gave it to them and that was the extent of my involvement," he said. "The fact is, both Tom Kean Jr. and Kevin O'Toole are both good friends of mine and important members of the state Senate, and I would be willing to
work with either of them as leaders of the Senate minority. "

Christie said he has continued to work with Kean Jr. since the minority leader whipped up enough votes to hold off a challenge from the Christie-backed O'Toole.

The attempted ouster was in part the result of the GOP's failure to pick up any seats last month, despite assurances from Kean that Republicans would grab at least five in the Senate.

Asked if he was "disappointed" in that outcome, Christie left little doubt.